Worth more than I thought
by Satou Kimura
Summary: Hikari Black's life is a fail. Her grades are dropping, her dad ditched her and she has to work at a nightclub. One day a certian red haired teacher drops by to her bar. What the hell does he want? Wasnt she unlucky enough?
1. Bloody Mary and Bloody trouble

Sorry for letting Cold hands go on hiatus… I suppose I just don't know where the heck the story is going… yeh, I didn't plan out anything… uh… so it probably won't be back anytime soon, but if you have an idea or anything, please tell me in a message or review, I'll always answer to my reviewers :D... on the 2nd thought, mayb i'll get 2 more chps of cold hands out... ok. I will. prolly very slowly though XD

Moving on…

so. A modern fic about Cross x OC. I'm kinda building this towards this one awesome chapter I wrote quite a while ago, so this plot is prolly gonna go pretty fast, eh? Review and everything so I know what you think

Kk

So the story feature sex, violence(?)… I supposes its just language for this chapter though.

Hikari Black loves her job. It's fun, challenging and interesting. It's fun to work under Anita-sama, the beautiful Chinese woman, challenging to reach the customer's needs and interesting to see the aftermaths of the drunkards swaying round.

Well, can you guess?

Yeah, she worked at a hostess club. She did bartending.

But she was sixteen.

It was legal to work, but not allowed. Not in one of the top schools in Tokyo, Black Order. It was hard to balance her school work and hostess club times. It was especially since she had to get top grades to stay in the school, but she managed. It was fun, plus, she needs the money. Her dad just ran off a year ago leaving her nothing but a debts and a house that she hated. She was going to show her dipshit of a father that she didn't need him, and that she didn't need HIS financial support to continue in the top schools. Hikari could do just fine.

Anyway, back on to her job.

She had started this bartending stuff few months back, and she was pretty good at it. Most salary men didn't give a shit what they drank as long as it got them wasted. That was normally beer. And sometimes there came a rare shot of whiskey; a more sophisticated salary man, but a sophisticated salary man was still a salary man. She had never ever made a Bloody Mary or even a Martini for a customer. Nu uh, not even once.

At two-forty five, a man with a mane of fiery red hair came in. This surprised Hikari, since one, it was late, and two, the guy was not wasted, but quite sober. It was unusual to see a guy _still_ sober at this time… but then again this _was _the red light district, and anything can happen here.

The man waved the menu of hostesses away as it was presented to him and took a seat at the snack bar.

The snack bar was never used, so Anita-sama had got Hikari to be positioned there. Shit. Was she expected to flirt with this guy?

The man reached inside his heavy coat and pulled out a smoke. As a habit, Hikari immediately lit it, before it even reached his lips. He took a deep draw of the cigarette, and breathed out. Even through the smoke, Hikari could feel his eyes boring to the back of her head as she turned round to get a cup ready. She kept her head down determinedly.

"They train you well." His voice was silky and deep.

"I wasn't trained here." (But by the strict equiette class at Black order.)

"I see. They don't train kids?"

That struck a nerve.

Her head shot up, turned round sharply. Her tongue ready to shoot out some viscous comment, but at the look of amusement etched across his face, her anger subsided, and she only managed a soft grunt of annoyance.

A deep chuckle rolled off smoothly from the bottom of his throat and reached her ears.

"Let's see if they've got a good bartender then, shall we?"

Hikari flicked a piece of auburn hair over her shoulder and gazed at him through the top of her eyelashes.

"They do. What drink Mr…?"

"Cross Marian, anything you can conjure up Ms…ah… Black."

A look of confusion crossed her face. How had he known her name? She didn't adorn a name tag like the hostesses, so there shouldn't be a reason that he should have known. She shrugged it off as she prepared a glass for the customer.

Of course, if she followed her set of rules she should have gotten him a simple shot of whisky…but she didn't.

She got out a shaking cup and poured in a generous mix of vodka and tomato juice as the base. She added a dash of lemon and bit of Tabasco and ice letting her hands moving smoothly over the ingredients and picking out what she wanted to. She made a show of screwing the lid on tightly before shaking it. Not so much that there were air bubbles, but enough to mix the drink. Hikari did a fancy twirl of the mixture before unscrewing the lid and tipping the Bloody Mary into the delicate alcohol glass before affixing a lime wedge onto the edge. She placed the glass in front of the classy looking man.

Hikari half expected the man to give her an incredulous look and push the glass away. She expected the man to ask for a beer, or a whisky.

He merely picked up the glass and swirled it several times before sipping it gently.

He smiled. "How did you know my favorite's Bloody Mary?"

"How did you know my name?" She countered.

Cross chuckled, and bent over to whisper into her ear.

What she heard made her blood freeze.

"I'm your new teacher Hikari Black. I'm supposed to be checking if you've been breaking school rules."


	2. Cigarettes and Cigars

**Worth more than I thought **

**Satou Kimura**

* * *

Annoyed Author's really random ramblings:

I cannot believe this.

I lost my usb. Well, that's what my friends are telling me, but I'm convinced that a certain someone stole it. Just can't prove it.

So the special chapter that I typed up, and the story plan and the next 4 chapters are all gone. I have to re-type it from whatever I remember. It isn't that bad. Just ticked off that my 16GB usb might be in someone else's pocket.

And I always have this unhappy/annoyed clenching in my chest when I re-type this…

Ah well.

I'm inclined to put in a disclaimer.

So.

In case you haven't noticed, I don't own . Shame really.

Onwards. =.="

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Hikari blinked. She tried to make sense of what had just been said to her, but no matter what her ears picked up, her brain didn't seem to want to accept. It started to make excuses. Her brain was in totally and absolute denial. This must be some kind of sick joke that Anita-sama was pulling. Was it April fools? She stared at the tinsel that wavered under the air-conditioning…nope, it was December. But then it didn't make sense. Anita-sama _always_ knew when the teachers were coming. She would _always _warn her and she would pull out before they could catch her. She wont leave her to this type of confrontation.

But it was reality.

She turned on her heel and took a deep shuddering breath. She would have to talk. Wordlessly and mouth slightly a gap, Hikari pushed the wall behind her, and a hidden door slid open. The Sino-European girl pondered her choices… close to none.

She slipped through it, and beckoned Cross to follow. The red head finished his alcoholic drink in a few gulps, before following.

The door scraped the uneven concrete floor as it slid back into its original position. They stood in the dark alleyway, face-to-face. The sounds of Kabukichou's nightlife seemed to be a mile away, and the closest sound was the one of Cross taking a long intake of his cigarette. Hikari stared determinedly on a sullied 'PSG BAND' sticker on the ground, as her brain chugged at a million miles per hour. She frowned at the explicit picture on the ground and, finally, raised her head to frown at her teacher. She found a pair of emerald eyes staring back, but there was no look of distaste or harshness. It was an unexpected emotion.

A look of amusement.

And boy did it make her want to punch the living daylights out of the bitch.

* * *

Cross look at the girl in front of her. She was an interesting one. There was a certain confidence—even arrogance that radiated from her. It seemed to emit from her pale blue eyes to the white tips of her platform converse; from every fiber of her being. He smirked. It didn't even seem to fade when he had told her who she was. She seemed to deflate for a second, eyes wide, then frowned, and stood up high, arrogance back.

It made sense, seeing who her father and mother is. Working at a hostess club with drunken men didn't help either.

She was perfect for his assignment…

* * *

She stared at him, glaring slightly. Then sighed. And closed her eyes dejectedly. She dint even know what she should say.

There was no point. She would be expelled.

She got the top grades, but the teachers all hated her. Not a single school would accept her with the recommendations (or lack of) from teachers.

She would have to beg Anita-sama for a job as a bar tender… maybe a hostess. She would need money.

If it got to that, she would have to beg her father to return… no. She wouldn't. She'd rather act as a whore. Virgins cost more. She grimaced. Before she could do that though, she had to know when she would get chucked out of the damn school.

She flickered her watery eyes up, a departed look in them. She stared determinedly at the lit cigarette, avoiding those bright green eyes.

"So when am I getting kicked out? Never really liked how I had to deal with the crazy workload, and perverted homeroom teacher… Speaking of which, I have a biology essay for Mikki-sensei… seven fucking pages of bull crap… so if I get chucked out, I won't bother with finishing it by tomorrow…" She took a deep breath, shuddering slightly, fully aware that she was rambling. "And so…"

She heard a splutter. She frowned at the smoke pillowing from the tip of the fag, and stared further down it, stopping at his lips.

He had a sarcastic grin adorned on his lips, and his brows were arched. Cross plucked the cigarette out from his lips and a low chuckle rumbled from the base of his throat. Soon, it escalated from maniac smile to a crazed giggling and Hikari could only stare at him incredulous as he clutched his stomach, laughing.

How the hell could he laugh? A young girl with a bright future was about to be devastated and, all he could so was splutter in her face? Laugh at how pathetic she was? Was that it?

She didn't care anymore. She wouldn't even try beg him. She had enough. Enough.

"Do-you-know-how-much… do you know that you might be ruining a perfectly fine girl's future with the next words you spit out? This might be one of the few-" She gritted her teeth, and continued feigning calmness "-or just one of many students you're going to screw round with… but it is MY FUTURE. MY DAD'S GONE! AND I'VE BEEN GOING NEAR-INSANE FROM HIS FUCKING DEBTS!" She took a quaking breath "…and all you can do… is… laugh?"

During her little rant, Cross had regained posture and even had his smoke between his lips again. She glared up at the man. Blue met green; angered met amused, and they stood there again. Silently.

The glow from the cigarette was getting dimmer, and the red-haired man threw it down, next to the sticker Hikari was staring at before. The dying embers of the remains of the cigarette were crushed under the heel of his left shoe.

He looked up, as if expecting her to speak. When she didn't, he grinned.

"Done with ranting?" He paused, as if waiting for a sarcastic remark. "Well, now you have to listen." He stopped abruptly, and reached in his pocket for another smoke.

He was bringing it to his lips, and Hikari had to resist the urge to help him light it. He raised his eyebrows and tapped the cigarette lightly. She ignore him.

"Not going to light it?"

"Bad for your health to smoke…" She death panned.

He shrugged, not seeming to care, but replaced the smoke into his pocket.

"…So as I was saying…" he stopped for a second, as if pondering something, then continued "I'm not going to get you expelled."

She blinked. And blinked again.

The creases between her brows were prominent again.

"W-Wha-? But didn't you-"

He tapped his shoe impatiently. "I said that I was supposed to _check_ on you, not rat you out."

Her frown deepened.

"Then, why—wha?"

"Well…" He seemed excited now, grinning slightly "I wouldn't really have chucked you out; you're Anita's cute bar tender. Anita would have my ass ripped off if I got you in that shit… but now you owe me one."

She nodded, wide doe-like eyes staring up at the European man as a million questions ran through her mind. Why did he treat Anita like a familiar? Who the hell was he? What did he want? Her eyes widened. He would want any special… services? She shuddered.

Cross didn't seem to notice, and he kept talking.

"I need you to help me… spy on Tyki Mikki. I need information. Anything. Even insignificant things, like habits, what programs he has on his computer, usb information… anything. Not too hard?"

She shook her head.

"Why me? Why Mikki-sensei? And… what's going on between you and Anita-sama?

He chuckled, raising his hands up in mock defense.

"whoa whoa, one question at a time!"

"Well?"

"well… I heard that you were pretty bright, and… well, you owe me one." He grinned.

She frowned, narrowing her eyes suspiciously

"Did you plan out all this?"

He chuckled, Shrugging his shoulders.

"Maybe… your guess is as good as mine."

"No, it isn't" she said stubbornly, puffing her cheeks out and kicking at the sticker on the floor.

"As for Mikki… Can't tell ya."

She raised her eyebrows.

"Are you… straight?"

Another deep chuckled rolled from his throat, and he shook his head in a way that reminded her of how her kindergarten teacher had shook her head when she tried explain, for the umpteenth time, that there were no rabbits on the moon.

"What make you think that?"

"Well… you want everything about him… habits, what he does…" She glanced at him weirdly, "you sound like a homosexual stalker who's too embarrassed to do the job yourself…"

"Well, I'm not."

She nodded, a skeptical eyebrow still raised slightly.

"Oh yeh, and I'm Anita's new lover. That _proves_ that I'm straight."

She nodded slowly; realization seemed to hit her square in the face.

"Okay… I'll be off."

She tugged at the handle of the hidden latch, and took a step in the club, but she seemed to think of something. Several stands of her thick glossy hair tumbled over her shoulder as she turned back to glance at him, a thoughtful and cynical look on her face.

"I suppose you like to get the best of both worlds…eh?" The mischievous glint was still in her eyes as she closed the door behind her, and he heard a light chuckle.

He sighed and lit the cigarette that was already caught between his fingers. A deep inhale later, he murmured to himself,

"Confidence back, I see…"

There was an unconscious smile on his lips as he trudged towards the busy district of the Sleepless Street, unaware that the same smile was adorned on the face of a certain bartender.

* * *

The wheels of fate creaked, and the clockwork moved smoothly, silently, until it fitted into place. They stopped; an invisible barrier seemed to be holding it back. They were waiting patiently for the catalyst to move the cogs and send them spiraling out of control.

* * *

As you see I got over this annoying bit (which I didn't enjoy re-typing =.="), and am now deciding that I need a break. I'm not even going to check it.

Just going to submit this.

You can see that my quality control is wonderfully magnificent, eh?

By the way, for you guys that want me to type longer chapters… I can't. It's just a thing I do. When I write to a certain amount, I stop, and refuse to type… so this is as long as it gets… or maybe it will get longer as the story progress… we'll have to see. If you look at the chapter length in my previous story, Cold Hands, I didn't even have chapters longer than a thousand words, so this is already longer than what I normally write. Please bear with me.

My fingers are numb from the typing-in-freezing-December so if you excuse me…

Please review and tell me what you think. If there are any mistakes, because of my lack of checking, I apologize. Please tell what you don't like though. Yeh. Damn its cold. I'll reply all of you, so please tell me whatever you think :).

Thanks for reading!

Oh, and I'll tell you this: our character seems to have a little red headed complex :).

KiMu~


	3. Fucking screwed, eh?

**Worth more than I thought**

Guys.

I just found out how to check number of hits on a story, and was horrified.

I got 117 hits.

This story. 117 hits.

This should make me pretty happy… except… I only got 4 reviews =.=

Come on~ you guys can do better. Gimme 10 reviews and I'll get you a quick update~~!

and soooooo... onwards ^^

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

The second hand cast a long shadow over the face of the clock as it rotated smoothly. The minute hand ticked to the number 'twelve' and the clock now read '7:00'. The workings inside it could be heard if you squinted; the slightly rusted joints and cogs fitted together, setting the beeper off... which also made the girl in bed start swearing.

The cotton sheets rustled, a moan, then a mumbled 'fuck this' and a slender hand slammed itself unceremoniously across the bedside table. It flailed round uselessly and another curse was heard when the girl couldn't find the source of the beeping noise. The white sheets were pushed aside and the girl placed her bare feet on the wooden floor.

_Shit_. She thought. _It's fucking cold._

She wandered round, trying to find the alarm clock… only to find it under her bed. She sighed, and clicked the red button on its peak, forcing the annoying beep to a stop. She sighed yet again, and pondered whether to go back to bed again, until she saw the time on the clock face.

Her eyes widened in disbelief and she took off, searching for her school uniform.

"Shit!"

* * *

Slamming the gate of the Black mansion open, she ripped her way through the neighborhood, earning several half-hearted barks from the sleepy neighborhood dogs.

It was almost eight by the time she had started running on the shorter of the paths towards school. She always woke up late but hardly ever got to school late. It wasn't like she wanted to wake up this late, but with her hectic lifestyle, she hardly have enough time to eat, let alone sleep. She had always pondered greatly on whether she should continue her education in The Black Order, when it had such a demanding curriculum and forbade her to work.

Her resolve always hardened at the thought of her asshole of a father and how she should make her life seem unaffected even though he left her. Her father had left her with nothing. Except a shit load of debts and… a house. She didn't care much for neither, and she would swap the house for a functional flat any day… but she was underage. Old enough to work, but not enough to rent or buy things like a flat. Anita-sama would help her if she asked, but it pained her to worry the beautiful Chinese women any further.

Anyhow, it was a plus that the Black Mansion was near the school, so she would get there on-time. She shuddered to think how she would manage if she lived where Lavi did. Probably need a flying hammer to get to school on time.

Flying hammer? Hikari frowned. Now wasn't the time to think of ridiculous things! She shook herself mentally. Maybe she should have got breakfast this morning; Hikari hadn't eaten anything since she came back from work last night. It was going to cost her—

"Running Late, I see." A awfully familiar voice directed at Hikari.

"Shit." She muttered.

Her head whipped to the left to see Cross Marian, faming hair and all. He was smirking and it took all of Hikari's self-restraint not to give him a dent in the face. She sighed and stared determinedly back at the school.

"Is this how you treat all your teachers?"

"Shut it, I don't want to deal with you right no—"

She frowned as the building seemed to go fuzzy at the edges. Damn. She should have got breakfast… was the last thought she fell. She vaguely registered a pair of strong arms and someone shouting at her in a concerned tone of voice. Black out.

* * *

The man of Portuguese descent slid the door to the classroom open. The crisp tapping of his footsteps paused briefly when he slid the door close, and continued into the room at a leisured pace.

He stopped at his desk and placed himself on to the cushioned chair, his eyes skimming round before directing a dazzling smile to the all (females) students in the class. Lavi rolled his eyes. He had seen Mikki's façade enough times and the expressions he plastered onto his face were rather…limited. Tyki was clad in crisp white shirt, ironed down pants and a pair of Salvatore Ferragamo's famed Loafers. His dark curls were pulled back with a thin headband, preventing them from blocking his golden pool of eyes. The smile on the man's lips didn't seem to resonate in his eyes, as always.

Tyki Mikki flipped through his register, calling out each name in a clear voice. Lavi's emerald eyes darted from his homeroom teacher to the door, willing Hikari to burst in, on time, before Mikki called her-

"…Hikari Black?"

Lavi raised his arm up, muttering a quick "She not here yet". There was a dangerous glint in Mikki's eyes and Lavi gave him an awkward smile. "I believe your name is next on the list, Bookman." There was an edge to his voice, but it disappeared quickly and he acted as though the student with flaming red hair and single twinkling emerald didn't exist.

Mikki sighed and shook his head, feigning disappointment. "Again? This would be…" He glanced down the register briefly "…the third time this week, no?" he paused briefly, not expecting an answer, he continued "I believe she may need to spend a little...ah…session with me at lunch, eh?"

Lavi gulped. Mikki's detentions weren't known for being pleasant. It was worst if the particular individual was; a) a female, b) had a history of hating Mikki, c) had a man between them. Hikari was obviously female, and she known to be immune to Tyki Mikki's charms. Lavi grimaced, it would be bad, but at least she didn't have a man between-

The door to the classroom was slammed open violently; all living mammals jerked their heads to the door. Marian Cross stood there, a mane of stunning red hair and a disgruntled look on his face. His brown eye was fixed onto Mikki and he took several steps forward, glancing down at Mikki. Mikki retuned his stare coldly, but smiled mockingly.

"Ah, Marian Cross, what is it?"

"Hikari Black is in the nurses' office. She won't be attending the first two periods. That's all."

It was obvious that the teachers had a history between them, and it wasn't a nice one. Lavi gulped as a thought imploded in his mind.

Who the hell is this? Oh, Hikari Black, you're so fucking screwed.

* * *

Merry late Christmas guys~

Reviews are the best present~~

I just need 10 of them ^^


	4. Detentions and determination

**Worth more that I thought**

* * *

Chapter four

Chapter Title: Detentions and determination

* * *

Author's (extra long and apologetic) Note:

Hello :D I am so sorry for this terrible delay in updating. I've finished all my holiday needs and whatnot, so I can finally update. In peace. I apologize, I really do.  
When you try write the next chapter of a story and you forget what your story is about, you know you haven't update for way too long.  
So, I wrote this in my holidays in Australia in the dead of night and on bumpy car rides, so I really cannot say how good this chapter will be. Currently editing this in Singapore airport. I'm all over the place, haha. I'll upload this as soon as I get back to Hong Kong.

Again, the original chapter was lost, along with my usb. So, I have made big changes from the original chapter.

My writing style has gone a little different, but I hope you enjoy this just the same.

Also, on a side note, I'll be uploading a proper KandaOC fanfiction, since Cold Hands ended up in such a wreck. I have made some sort of half-assed plan for it, so it will not turn out like Cold Hands, I promise. It's an AU future fanfiction called 'Reincarnation', and I've already got seven chapters typed out! Each chapter is promised to be more than a thousand words, at least :D I had fun typing that future fic, so I hope you guys will check it out! Only if you want to of course :)

Thanks for sticking with this unreliable amateur writer. Knowing someone's reading my rubbish makes me so happy.

And, just thought I'd show you my private and very lame tumblr: nestea69 . t u m bl r . c o m (without the spaces of course :D)

Oh, disclaimer:

I don't own anything.

Okay, on to the chapter.

* * *

'Gorgeous little thing, aren't you?'

The Chinese girl rolled her eyes, but a smile was tugging at her slight pink lips.

'Flirt. About my notes…'

Lavi flashed a smile immediately, and inclined his head forward.

'I'll be sure to return them by tomorrow.'

'Ahh… well, you sure that will be enough time for you?'

The red head nodded, fingering the two stacks of notes under his desk.

'I'm sure I'll manage.'

Lavi heard footsteps coming through from the corridor. They had a rushed air about them, and a higher 'tip tap' of the heels than your average high school crowd. Lavi's smile widened. In no time she would call his na-

'Bookman!'

He turned round, almost in a lazy manner, seeming jaded from the sound of the girl's voice. There was a way that she would call his name in a slight accent, a little harsher than others, that would make him listen to her.

A creaking of the door's old metal hinge and Hikari's Asian head could be seen popping from behind it. She stepped over a school bag, then, weaving round the classroom of cluttered desk and shelves, made it to her desk. A sigh escaped her lips as she collapsed onto her chair; her own bag was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor nearby.

She turned to her left, where Lavi was sitting. The red head politely ended the conversation with Lenalee and turned to Hikari.

'So, coming at lunch time? Trying to be a rebel and trying to surpass my epic popularity? I'm afraid that won't be happ-'  
The girl blinked, then quickly regained her posture and gave Lavi a light punch in the shoulder.

'Don't be a dumbass. What did I miss? The last two periods were...shit, um… Science and English?'

He gave her a large smile and passed her his notes.

'Here. I hope you gave him your essay.'

'I emailed it to him… but, don't you need them for your next period…?'

He laughed, and the sound seemed to resonate through the near empty classroom.  
'I'm a genius. I don't need the notes. Plus-' He flipped out Lenalee's notes 'I'm so popular that I've already got someone to lend their notes.'

She gave him a dry smile and gave him an odd look.

'Hey! I _am_ popula-'

Hikari laughed and gave him a single armed hug. 'Okay, calm down! I was joking. Thanks, Lavi.'  
Lavi gave her a soft smile and ruffled her hair.

'Always welcome.'

They sat at the desk for a while as Hikari flipped through Lavi's notes briefly, scanning for anything she didn't already know.

Suddenly, a loud rumble was heard.

'So, erm… lunch? I am kind of…'

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. She placed the notes in a file carefully and shoved everything else into her bag. Slinging her bag on her shoulder, she stood up and looked at Lavi, smiling.

'Where to?'

* * *

They ended up going to the roof. It was a spacious area, with a plain concrete floor. It was said that the roof top was once covered in grass but the expenses associated with keeping the grass green was too grand. It was a shame; Hikari would have liked to see that. In the far corner were an abundance of potted plants. It seemed like most people were done eating already, and went back to the classroom.

'Wow.' Hikari crouched down in front of a small rose bush, staring up at it curiously. 'Did the gardening club really plant these? This is pretty good… I never realized.'

Lavi looked up from his burger briefly, before munching again.

'That's because you're always so busy.'

'Ahh…' Hikari gave Lavi a small smile, 'I suppose you're right… but you're pretty busy yourself yeah? Mr. Bookman is training you and giving you extra lessons.'

Lavi shrugged.

'I'm a fucking genius, his lessons are nothing to me!' Hikari rolled her eyes 'But I don't need to worry about paying my rent, or not having enough food on the table.'

Hikari cast her eyes down on the rose bud again, biting her lip.

'Bullshit. I don't need to worry about shit like that.'

'You just have to work till you faint. Like you did today. Right?'

She frowned. 'It's nothing like that. I just forgot to eat breakfast.'

He sighed, and put his burger down. His single green eye seemed to pierce her pale blue ones.

'I've said this before. You don't have to be worrying about finance at all. I can lend you money. So can Panda. Even Komui. I could even ask if you can live at my place. We have enough space. I don't want you to need to work-'

'Thanks, Lavi. You don't need to worry. Really.'

She smiled at Lavi, and he sighed deeply. Hikari had a strong sense of pride, and if asking her father to pay for what he should be paying for would hurt her pride, there was no way she would leech off Lavi. He knew that already, but it was always worth a try.

'You keep saying that! You're the dumbass… working so hard. If it makes you feel better, I'll get you to return all the money me and Panda lends you. I'll even get you to pay interest.'

'No, Lavi, really. I'm fine.'

Another defeated sigh.

'Fine. The deal's always open.'

Hikari gave him a hard punch in the chest, chuckling.

'Man, no need to sound all beaten. I'm sure this isn't the first time you got rejected by one of the opposite gender.'

Lavi laughed and finished his burger off.

'Depends. Do we consider you a female?'

'Dumbass, you know I'm so much more girly and cute than all your ex-girlfriends combined.'

'Bull. I have higher standards than-' Lavi stuck his index finger out and prodded her forehead, '—this!'

'Bullshi—you!'

* * *

'Black.'

The Eurasian turned round to meet golden eyes. Ah. Tyki Mikki. He looked dashing as always but there was always this certain hostility that irked her. It seemed to her that he was trying to tell everyone that he was better than everyone, and that if he was your teacher it would make you a better student. This wasn't true. Hikari always made it her goal to glare at him until he looked away. It was a childish game that made her feel some sense of victory. To make matters worse, this certain homeroom teacher seemed to enjoy making her school life hard. The dumbfuck. It was him that almost saw her at work before.

'Mr. Mikki? You called me?' She smiled sardonically.

A deep chuckle rolled from the base from his throat, 'I sure did.'

'And?' She looked up, putting on her best I-didn't-do-anything-you-better-let-me-go face.

'It appears you have been late to class three times this week. I think it seems to deserve some…ah… attention.'

'Well, sir, better late than not arriving at all. I assure you that all my school work and assignments are handed on time, and that they are of the best quality. I did hand that biology assignment in by email, yesterday, which makes it a day early.' Her smile widened.

_Fuck, he better leave it at that-_

Tyki gave her a smile, and shrugged.

'Well. I believe Black Order is very particular about etiquette and attendance, as a scholarship student, you seem to disregard the rules quite a lot.'

'Well, but-'

'Black. You have been late three times in a row. We seem to have school five days a week.'

'It-'

'That's great. I was going to keep you for lunch breaks, but I have a better solution. I'll see you every Saturday, twelve o'clock sharp in the homeroom. Please don't be late.'

_Fu—_

'And I want you to get that seven page biology essay handed in hard copy, printed out. If it scores less than ninety percent and the word count is incorrect, I'll have you type it all out again.'

_Fuck._

* * *

Hikari undid the buttons of her uniform and slipped it off. She rummaged round for a plain black t-shirt before slipping it on. It wouldn't do to be caught seen in her uniform. Probably be reported within seconds.

She took her time to push the door that led to her counter. She was surprised to see that there was someone sitting there already, waiting.

'Hello. Sorry to keep you waiting. What can I get you—oh.' The cheerful air round her dropped and she face twisted into an ugly scowl, 'Cross.'

He swiveled round to face her, amused look planted on his face.

'Well, well. I would have thought people are should be grateful to their savior.'

She grunted. Refusing to look at him, she picked up a glass and wiped it with a damp cloth.

He leaned in closer and whipped out a cigarette. She placed the cloth down briefly to lit the cigarette, but still refused to look at her teacher.

'That was surprising. You lit it.'

She rubbed at a whisky glass and glared at it as if it had insulted her greatly.

'You're a customer.'

'Well then. I would like the usual, and I would also want to ask the bartender to entertain me.'

Her head whipped up and she snarled. 'I only make drinks. You should know that, _sir_.'

Cross took a puff of the cigarette and smiled cynically.

'I merely wanted a drink and someone to talk to. I am not asking for any extra… services, _Black_.'

The Bloody Mary was already in the cold glass, and placed on the counter. She glared at him.

He took a short sip of the beverage and pushed it to the side. Leaning forward, he stated

'You are breaking school rules.'

She froze for a fraction of a second before picking up the damp cloth again, rubbing at the different glasses. The Sino-European girl was aware that there were other customers that were in the bar that could hear them. She gritted her teeth. She thought she had already settled this.

'You need money. Am I correct? '

HIkari leaned forward. She would have to force the guy to shut up. Her eyes were half-lidded and she had a smile at her lips.

'You seem to have all the answers, _sir_. I see no need to respond.'

He chuckled, and lit another cigarette.

'Well then, _Black_, I made a deal, remember?'

'…'

She continued to clean the glass in her hand; his words seemed to have made no impact on her.

'…'

'Tyki Mikki.' She finally said. 'I know. You see, you haven't told me enough to get me working.' In reality, Hikari had totally forgotten about the deal.

'I don't need to tell you anything. If you get what I want, you get to keep working here and I will not spread your secret.'

Hikari bit her lip thoughtfully. Then he placed the cup on the worktop and looked into Cross' eyes.

'Well… don't you think its fair that I get to know why you need this information?'

'Hm.' Cross looked slightly surprised, then a look of amusement crossed his face, 'why? Do enlighten me.'

'Because… I want to make sure that information I get for you will be correct. There isn't much point in knowing that he brushes his teeth four times a day when what you want to know is what he had for lunch, yes?'

There was a look of fierce determination and curiosity on her features. Not a hint of fear.

He mused over this as he took a draught of the ruby red drink. In someway, this kind of made sense, but there were some things… He chuckled inwardly, she is an interesting one. He answered slowly.

'…Tonight. I'll tell you what I can tonight.'

'Tonight? You'll tell me everything?'

'I'll tell you what I can, dumbass. I'll see you then.'

With that, Cross stood up and went. His deep red hair still seemed to dazzle the Eurasian girl, despite his previous mockery. It was until the man's fiery mane left did she realize that he hadn't paid for his drink.

'Fuck! MARIAN CROSS! GET YOUR ASS BAC-'

* * *

How was it? ._. -Wrings hands in worry-

This chapter is long than all the others, and I didn't have much time to proof-read. Please tell me any grammar mistakes/spelling mistakes you see.

Oh, and I have to thank Deathbringerofvengance for making me actually want to write this chapter, haha. And of course, I thank all my other reviewers and my kind, patient readers that haven't abandoned me yet ;_;


	5. Lies and Truth

**Worth more that I thought**

* * *

Chapter five

Chapter Title: Lies and Truth

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing. NOTHING. Even Hikari refuses to be owned by me.

* * *

Hikari hummed a gentle tune as she diced the carrots. A thick stew was simmering in the stove; the aroma of beef, onions and pumpkins wafted up gently, filling the kitchen with rare warmth that didn't often reach the house. Pushing the carrots off the chopping board and into the pot, she let it sit there, stirring occasionally, satisfied with her work.

The Eurasian girl never had time to cook with the job at hand, but when she did have a day-off and had all homework done, she would leave that time to this pastime of hers.

_10pm tonight._ Had been the brief text message that she got from Marian Cross, but to was enough to inform her. _Marian Cross would be here to tell her everything. Ten o'clock tonight. _She did not bother fathom how he had come to acquire her phone number, but merely attempted to mentally brace herself for what horrors might lay in Marian Cross' words.

Stirring the contents of the pot for a final time, she took the pot off the heat and ladled a generous helping of stew into her bowl. This was enough for tonight, the rest would probably last her a few days.

The lights in the kitchen were clicked off immediately after the cooking was done, Hikari could not afford to be wasting so much on electricity. Spooning food into her mouth and waiting for a certain man soon became redundant, and the girl flipped open the English Literature book she was to read for tomorrow, _The Bloody Chamber._

Two well placed knocks echoed through the Black residence.

Hastily placing book and spoon down, Hikari ran to the door like a child going to an amusement park; only to skid to a halt near the door. She licked her lips as her hand touched the doorknob.

_Would it be something she wanted to hear…?_

Her right hand twisted and the door swung open to reveal the flamboyant mane of enflamed hair. Marian stepped in and, with one fluid motion, closed the door behind him.

_Too late now to be thinking now._

It seemed like Marian Cross encaged her in her own house and not the other way round. She felt awfully exposed, knowing that most of her deepest secrets were for this man to see.

'Cross.' She said stiffly.

Marian smiled, not his smirks nor extravagant smiles for courting woman, but a genuine smile. It was a smile that was generally used when an adult would be breaking a child into the harsh reality. Hikari's eyes hardened at the thought.

'Hah, let me take a seat then.' The man went straight past Hikari and into the living room, where he collapsed on the sofa. Hikari padded slowly to the living room but did not take a seat. She stood there, staring at the man like he was uninvited.

'_The Bloody Chamber_…' He picked up the book and chuckled gently '…is it something that you should be reading, hm?'

'It is part of my education. If you have any questions regarding that, you may want to consult the English department.' The answer was swift and hostile. There was stark that she did not wish to have any conversation with him, and wished for it to be over as quickly as possible.

The book was placed on the sofa next to the stew. Marian's hands, now empty clapped together in an awkward manner.

'Sit. This talk will not be as short as you wished for it to be.'

With a frown on her face, she haltingly took a seat next to him on the sleek leather sofa.

The cigarette was lit and Marian took a deep inhale before lapsing into the tedious tale.

'The people associated with the yakuza party _Noah_ in our school, you know them?'

Silence. A splutter, then a laugh resounded through the empty house.

'What? _What?_ What bullshit are you spewing! Why would anyone in a posh school be part of yakuza? _Noah_, of all yakuza parties!'

The Noah was some damn hot news. About five years ago, they were causing successful riots and killings throughout Japan, putting the government under immense stress. The police and even military seemed to have gained no control whatsoever, and the government was contemplating getting other countries' special forces to help… but then Noah disappeared. The killings stopped and the riots became non-existent. No one associated to the Noah fessed up, and the Japanese government pretty much left 'bygones be bygones'.

A piece of A4 paper was flipped out from the man's briefcase. His eyes started from the top and flicked down slowly as he read off it.

'Tyki Mikki, bombing specialist.

Road Noah, hacker.

Cyril Noah, human trafficker.

Lulubell Noah, Conner.

Millennium Earl… Nothing.'

'"Nothing"? Then why is he on the list?'

'He has been sighted with the other Noah too many times for it to be a mere coincidence.'

'Wait… why… these criminals…?'

Marian gave a weary chuckle and took another puff from his cigarette.

'If you'd let me finish, Hikari.'

The girl fell silent; a fierce blazing in her eyes told him that he had her undivided attention.

'They treat the School as some sort of base. They are all from the Noah family and they have… quite a lot of the school's shares. We cannot stop them from coming in and out of the school.'

Hikari nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving the man.

'Your father… we know he had bonds with Noah.'

The girl's eyelashes flickered a few times before staring at him silently. The lack of surprise that graced her features unnerved him.

'…he… had no choice but to leave you, Hikari.'

Hikari had a look of incredulity before bursting into laughter. Her laughs were anything but joyful: short strained barks that seemed to be concealing weariness.

'That's grand. "Had to"?' Mockery and bitterness was laced in her words.

Cross was tempted to tell her the whole truth... but it wasn't the time. 'It's true.' Even this defensive comeback sounded fucking feeble to him.

'Just get on with your little story, Marian, no need to get side-tracked.'

The corners of Marian's lips lifted ever so slightly before dropping back to his stoic façade.

'There is a need to discuss your father. It is where you come in.'

Hikari glanced over at Cross before looking into her hands and nodded, seeming uncaring to this part of the information.

'Your father had ties with the Noah, and so someone is bound to keep tabs on you. Tyki Mikki, being your tutor is a perfect candidate.'

'Wait… you want me to… dig up secrets when he…' There was a pointed look of disgust on her face. 'I can't fucking deal with that son-of-a-bitch…'

'Nor can you deal with a lack of education. Don't worry. If you accept this job, other people in the Black Order will watch over you.'

'Pay?'

'I was thinking that staying in the school 'was good enough for you.'

Hikari tipped her head to one side and raised a eyebrow.

'…would having the same pay at Anita's but working less shifts sound good?'

A small smile and a outstretched hand was raised in Marian's direction.

'Deal.'

Cross grasped her hand and gave a firm shake.

'Deal.'

* * *

Only when Marian Cross was out of the house did he realize how unnaturally small and fragile Hikari hand had felt in his own.


	6. She's always been in the red

**Worth more that I thought**

* * *

Chapter six

Chapter Title: She's always been in the red.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I don't even have allowance, I spent it all on cosmetics as soon as I got it.

* * *

Author's Note: Forever apologetic. I was feeling so depressed with all my schoolwork and life that I just needed something to read. Something short but romantic. A little something that would make my heart ache for the star-crossed lovers. A simple oneshot with a well-rounded OC that's good enough to be with the one and only Lavi Bookman.

First fanfiction I clicked into: a block of text. First thought- does this person know of the 'Enter' key?

Second: Only speech. First thought: fuck, I don't want to read a play.

Third: OC with the name Tearju Mikustars ( I made it up, but you get the point).

Fuck. I just want something nice to read.

So then I decided to write. I feel so fucking guilty for not writing for so long. This story has been dragging on for a year now. What the heck. Okay, here I go.

By the way, you see what I did there in the title? Do you guys get it? /rubs hands/

* * *

'Do you have any fucking idea what you're dealing with?'

Hikari looked up briefly from _The Bloody Chamber_ before flipping the page over.

'Language, Lavi.' Hikari said with a tired sigh. She skimmed over the words and flipped a page again with disinterest.

She had been unable to sleep last night as Cross' little monologue had brought up more questions than it answered.

She was currently on the roof with Lavi, and the topic of her job and her weariness had been brought up. With Lavi's honest emerald eyes brimming with concern, Hikari just didn't have the heart to lie to him. She told him all about Cross and her current position.

As expected, Lavi didn't take it easily.

'You should sue the guy. Cross is a teacher! He can't be giving you jobs! Especially not one with that dangerous Noah!'

The Eurasian girl raised an eyebrow at that comment.

'Sounds like you know him well? As a Noah, I mean.'

The girl looked up to see her best friend at lost for words for a second; there was a telltale flash of shock in his eyes before Lavi gave her a calculated look of skepticism.

'Of course I know him well, he's why half the girls in our school refuse to flirt with me.' Then a strained grin.

Hikari closed her book with a sigh.

'Totally. That must be the only reason why. Whatever, redhead.' Sarcasm dripped from her words.

It was not uncommon for Lavi to lie so blatantly, and Hikari wasn't even sure if it were a good thing that she could see through them so easily. There was always a good reason behind his lies, and she didn't confront him too often.

_Only once._ She recalled. There was something about this lie though. All his previously lies would be well thought through, his act too flawless and his metamorphose from lie to grin would be so fluid it would be hard to catch anything. Lavi always came prepared. His lies were always scripted.

_Why not this one?_

Hikari glanced at Lavi, crease prominent between her brows. Her hand reached out to touch his shoulder and her mouth open; ready to say something along the lines of '_But really, you don't need to lie. You know the Noah?_'—

A garish tune of bells rang, signaling the end of lunch. Lavi jumped up and muttered a quick _goodbye_ and something along the lines of _biology revision _before running off.

Only when Hikari was on the staircase alone did she catch his most obvious lie yet.

_He has fucking photographic memory._

* * *

Hikari had always been a curious one.

Lavi always had lies at the tip of his tongue, ready to dish them out when he needed to. It was something people often overlooked when paired with a carefree grin. After all, why would a happy, carefree kid need to lie about trivial things?

* * *

'_Hello.' He should probably get to be friends with the person he sat near, since it would be something expected. He flashed the Eurasian girl a grin. _

_The girl nodded politely, but then dropped back to the simultaneous equation she was working on. _

_Lavi frowned. Anti-social, polite and hard working. As expected from a scholarship student. _

'_I'm Lavi. I'm an exchange student.'_

'_I fucking know.' She breathed._

_Lavi blinked._

'_Excuse me?'_

_The girl looked up again, annoyed. 'Didn't I nod? I'm trying to work here, I really don't have time for idle chat.'_

_Lavi added 'short-tempered' to his mental list. Interesting._

* * *

Their first encounter had intrigued him, and he found himself spending more time with Hikari. He would be ignored as she tackled her work feverishly. She hardly every ate, and when she did, it would be brief energy drinks or sweets. The area beneath her eyes darkened by the day, and he was well aware of her loss in body mass.

It was a pitiful sight.

* * *

_Hikari paused, and looked up from her work briefly. Her face showed clear signs of weariness, but her eyes were ablaze._

'_If you really want to be friends, you wouldn't be lying all the time.'_

_Lavi fell silent, in momentary shock. His grin was plastered back on his face soon enough._

'_I only lie because I need to. You should eat and rest more.'_

_Her eyebrows rose._

'_And the two correlate because…?'_

'_They don't.'_

* * *

She started eating proper meals. First it was just bread, then convenience store meals, finally, she brought her own packed lunch.

But he just kept lying.

* * *

Why was it that she kept allowing a liar like Lavi to stay by her side, acting as her best friend? He couldn't keep his promises, yet she was keeping their unkempt promise wholeheartedly. He had asked her once, and she only replied with a brief smile and a simple 'it's healthy'.

Lavi walked forward with brisk steps before entering the bathroom. He chose the first cubicle available and locked himself in. He slumped to a wall, not even caring when the pencil graffiti on the wall stained his white shirt a slight grey.

It made no sense.

Lavi buried his head into his hands, running his fingers through his flaming locks.

She made no fucking sense.


End file.
